


Luck of the Role

by GobWrites



Category: Critical Role (Web Series), Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Found Family, Gen, local sad boi gets less sad, this story?? my baby. Love of my life., y'all I'm so excited to be posting this okay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2020-10-25 05:29:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20718866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GobWrites/pseuds/GobWrites
Summary: Adriel is small, and definitely not strong. He's not hardy, and he's not the sharpest knife on the assassin's belt. But he's quick, he's rather clever, and he's deadly when he needs to be.But he's soft, really. Tired, scared, and without a good meal in months. Nobody wants a broken kid with too-bright eyes and pessimistic ideas.With the guidance of his grandmother and his faithful rat companion by his side, Adriel feels like he can at least attempt anything this world throws at him.And anything he finds along the way? Well, Kyrian did always tell him that anything not nailed down was his...





	1. Lost, then found...

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so excited to be posting this here.  
And yes, all of my stories DO come from d&d, how kind of you to notice ;w;  
I don't do much but play d&d or play sims okay leave me ALONE  


**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A young tiefling has been dealing with this same homeless, desperate human kid for a while now. He figured after he'd said 'no' the first few times, the kid would have given up. Instead, he manages to keep finding the orchid colored tiefling, who knows that if he asks his mentor about the boy again, he'll get punished.  
But of course fate always finds a way. Even if it has to be a bit more persistant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some minor tws for verbal/emotional abuse & physical harm to a child in this chapter  
It's not really delved into but it's implied that Mr Eldan is verbally & emotionally abusive to Kyrian.
> 
> I've used Kyrian's name in this chapter despite him not having one yet in order to lessen some of the confusion. Let me know if it helped at all!

When Adriel was born, he was discarded. Nobody, eventually including himself, could be sure of how he survived until Kyrian came along.

Kyrian thought it must be a miracle. And he didn't even believe in those. But this kid? Had to be a miracle. Must have the grace of some deity coursing through those veins.

Otherwise, there's no way he would keep finding the orchid colored tiefling.

"Kiddo, I told you, there's no way you can come with me." Kyrian sighed, trying with little success to pull his leg out of the grasp of the toddler. The human pouted, tugging on Kyrian's pants again and making a noise of displeasure. The tiefling sighed and kneeled next to the child. "Look, kid. You're cool enough and all, I'm sure, but Mr. Eldan already said no when I asked about you."

Kyrian wasn't sure if the kid could really understand him, but he definitely understood what he was saying; no. The kid's bright green eyes welled up with tears, and the mostly nude child hobbled away, sobbing pathetically. It hurt Kyrian, it really did- but right now he just needed to make sure he had somewhere to live.

"I'll make it up to you. I promise."

* * *

The kid never disappeared from Kyrian's life. If anything, he got more persistent. Or maybe Kyrian got more lenient. Whichever one, eventually Kyrian found himself caring about the little bugger way more.

Especially after overhearing a couple he'd scammed previously mentioning him. He didn't get all the details, but he got enough to realize that he was definitely the reason this kid was on the streets. Kyrian would try one last time, see if his mentor had a change of heart in the past couple years.

“Mr. Eldan?" The elf, an older gentleman with clear signs of age on his face, scowled down at the tiefling, who was only around 11.

“What? Out with it, then." Kyrian breathed deeply and attempted to look serious and determined.

“Mr. Elden, sir, are you sure that we can't watch that child? He's older now, he can-"

“We do not have the resources, the money to care for another whelp like yourself. Consider yourself lucky I haven't thrown you out yet, ungrateful brat." He grabbed Kyrian by the horn, and the tiefling winced, attempting to stand taller to alleviate some of the pressure. "Tell the kid to fuck off for good this time- apparently you haven't been forceful enough."

“Sir, I really do think-"

“Did you not hear the words that just came out of my mouth, boy? He's not my fucking responsibility. Let him die out there." The pressure increased on Kyrian's horn, and he felt tears prick at his eyes.

“Please let go..."

“Don't mumble, boy."

“Please let go." He tried again, louder this time.

“I still can't hear you." The man was teasing him- taunting him now. This was a punishment.

Something inside Kyrian snapped and, without thinking, he pressed his hands against his mentor's chest and felt heat spread through his arms, to his fingertips, and out in a small flame. It wasn't anything too dangerous, but the elf threw himself backward with shock. Ideally, he would have let go of Kyrian's horn and Kyrian could have run away.

Instead, he had gripped it harder, the curved horn snapping under his grip, causing Kyrian to cry out in pain.

But, he could still run.

He wasn't wanted here anyway.

He ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, dow multiple streets and ducking through alleyways. He was fairly sure he wasn't being followed, but he was scared and needed to escape.

Eventually, though, he collapsed to his knees part of the way into an alleyway. He breathed deeply, heavily, hands balled into fists on the stoney grounds.

He stared down at his hands, realizing what he had done was not normal. He was scared of what he'd done, what he could probably do if he tried.

He knew some people had magic- it wasn't uncommon, especially for nobles- or that was Mr. Eldan had told him, anyway. Kyrian didn't know if it was common, or even possible, for someone with no ties to nobility to have any powers.

He'd have to do some research.

But not until he found that kid.

'That kid'. Kyrian sighed. He needed a name.

Granted- Kyrian also needed a name. Mr. Eldan hadn't ever really given him one of those. Just called him 'boy', 'child', 'brat'...

"You?" Kyrian was startled and whipped around toward the sound. Behind him stood the human boy, dressed in rags - the tiefling wasn't sure where he got any clothes at all, but he was glad the kid was covered, at least. He seemed confused, a little scared, but mostly curious. After a couple of seconds, he broke eye contact, his bright green eyes darting toward Kyrian's tail. He grabbed at it experimentally, and Kyrian pulled it away from him. The boy giggled, grabbing at it again. Watching him grab and miss Kyrian's tail repeatedly brought amusement to Kyrian, who chuckled softly.

"You got a name, kid?" He asked, sitting down on the ground. The child sat next to him, and didn't say anything. "You know common? At least a little?"

"Little." Came the reply. His voice was quiet, raspy- he probably didn't use it very often. Had nobody taken pity on him? Nobody at all?

"Okay, I can work with a little. I'll take care of you now, okay? As good as I can. I promise."

"Promise?" He tilted his head softly, indicating he didn't know what that meant.

"I'll do it, no matter what. We're friends now. Friends."

"Friends."He seemed to think the word over, before smiling. "Friends."

Kyrian still didn't really know what was drawing him to this kid; he didn't know why he cared, just that he did. He was determined to make sure they got through all of this together.


	2. Then lost again.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are beginning to look up for our boys, especially after Adriel gets another visit from his grandmother.  
However, things can never go perfectly for anyone, now can they?  
Especially not when someone has an adventure they need to begin.

“Brother, I have a question.” Adriel kneeled next to the tiefling, who was heating up some food they’d stolen in a tiny fire at his fingertips. Adriel watched in slight wonder as the flames flicked and jumped against the bottom of the metal sheet they’d been using as a pan.

“Yeah, green?”

“Do you have a name?”

Kyrian paused for a moment, biting at his lip piercing.

“No. Never given one. Same as you.”

“Oh.” Adriel adjusted himself to sit down, looking up at the darkening sky above them.

“Maybe we’ll change that at some point.” Kyrian said softly, glancing back to the human- at least, they’re both fairly sure he’s human. Just with a special connection to his grandmother?

“Food’s done now, shorty.”

“I’m not that short.” Adriel sighed, exasperated. Kyrian chuckled, ruffling the child’s shaggy brown hair.

“Sure, shorty, sure.” He handed Adriel part of their dinner- a couple of sandwiches that Kyrian had been able to snag when a couple had been preoccupied in the market square.

They ate in relative silence, sitting against the wall of the alleyway, leaning against one another, relishing in being close to one another.

“You know what I think, kid?”

“What’s that?”

“You should learn how to fight.” The words fell from Kyrian’s lips, and almost immediately Adriel was shaking his head.

“You know I don’t want-”

“Just in case. What if what happened last week happens again? And I’m away in town when someone tries to hurt you?”

“I’m fast-”

“But you won’t always be able to run and hide.” Kyrian sighed, finally turning toward his brother. “I’m so, so proud of you for running and hiding as well as you did, but some people in this world are… Wicked, nasty people. Sometimes people will do anything they can to hurt you.”

Adriel stared into Kyrian’s eyes, which averted from his gaze, seemingly temporarily lost in some thoughts.

“I’m just saying,” Kyrian started again. “If it happens again, and you can’t escape? If something happened to you, I don’t know what I would do. I just want to make sure you can be safe without me next to you all day.”

Adriel sighed, then nodded.

“Alright. I’ll learn.” He said. “But only so I can protect myself.”

Kyrian let out a breath that Adriel hadn’t realized he was holding, and smiled.

“Of course.” He moved one hand from Adriel’s shoulder, to his face. “Thank you. It means the most to me knowing you’re safe.”

“We’ll start in the morning.” Kyrian stood, holding his hand out to help Adriel to his feet. “Where do you think we’ll be safest tonight?”

“Here. Near the wall of the alley. Most people can’t scale it-”

“But we’re not most people, huh?” Kyrian let a tiny flame flicker at his fingertips, and Adriel laughed softly.

“We’re not most people.” He walked over and sat against the corner of the building and the wall blocking the rest of the alley. Kyrian came over next to him, taking off the large cloak he wore and draping it over the both of them as he sat down beside Adriel.

\--

That night, Adriel got another visit from his grandmother. She stood before him, a gentle smile on her face. Adriel grinned at her, and she laughed, silently. She’d never directly spoken to him with words, simply gestures and motions, cryptic messages in the back of his mind.

She gestured with one of her hands beside her, and next to her appeared a large mirror, reflecting the darkness around them.

Curious, Adriel looked into the mirror.

That wasn’t him… Was it?

His reflection was of a young adult, bright green eyes almost glowing dimly. Behind him shimmered a pair of magnificent, feathered, ethereal wings that shone with a soft golden light. He stood proud- back straight, shoulders square. Chin up. And he smiled, genuinely, happily. He beamed with pride. His clothes were fancy, but not extravagantly so. Fine fabrics making up a nice coat in a deep blue, draped over a black shirt and fitted pants, which were tucked into cool grey boots. On top of the whole ensemble was a long black cloak with golden, ornate trim, draped delicately over his shoulders.

“Is that me?” Adriel looked up at his grandmother, who moved her arm again and the figure in the mirror faded slightly, seeming transparent, and Adriel was able to see his current reflection again. The taller figure shrunk and was suddenly the size of Adriel. Their faces were nearly the same, albeit the figure’s was more mature; more grown.

Their green eyes shone identically.

Suddenly, Adriel woke up. He blinked a few times at the sun, turning his face to bury it in his brother’s shoulder, where he'd evidently fallen asleep the previous night.

He grumbled quietly, throwing one arm around his brother's chest and trying to urge himself to go back to sleep.

"Gmorning, green." Kyrian chuckled, running one hand up and down his brother's arm. "Sleep okay? Any dreams?"

"Grandma showed me something new." Adriel murmured softly, sitting up slowly. Kyrian raised his eyebrow, looking at the human. "It was me- but in the future, I think?"

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I was taller and I had wings? But they weren't all there?? And I was wearing better clothes and I looked happy?" Quickly his voice went from confused to excited- "So that means there must be a good future, right? It means we'll survive and grow? Maybe get a home someday?"

Kyrian smiled warmly, albeit somewhat hesitantly.

"Sounds like it! You think we'll still live together when that happens?"

"As long as you don't get tired of me." Adriel said, cuddling close to his brother once more. Kyrian laughed softly, letting his arm rest softly across the younger male’s shoulders.

“I could never get tired of you, squirt.”

\---

Kyrian was coming back to where he’d left his brother when something suddenly felt very, very wrong in his gut. He was still a fair distance away from the alley, but he started running.

When he arrived, a spell at the ready in case he had to fight something off, Adriel stood there, looking terrified. His dagger was in his hands, and coated with blood. Before him lay a man, face-down on the ground, not moving, and not visibly breathing.

Kyrian would do something with the body later.

“Are you okay?”He kneeled down next to his brother, who, still scared, almost immediately dropped the dagger and collapsing into his brother’s arms. Kyrian held him close, petting his hair. “Ssh, ssh… I’m here now. I’ll protect you buddy. I’m sorry.”

“He came up to me and tried to grab me- I pushed him away but he didn’t stop. I had to- I didn’t want-”

“I know, I know.” He whispered quietly, trying to comfort his brother. Adriel was clearly crying- a wet spot was growing on Kyrian’s shoulder, where Adriel’s face was pressed.

“Is he dead?” Adriel pulled his face away, wiping at his face with his sleeve. Kyrian looked down at the man, who hadn’t moved even slightly.

“I think so.” Adriel’s eyes welled up with tears. “You’re okay, bud. You were protecting yourself. I can’t be angry at that.”

“But I didn’t want to kill him!” Adriel said, tears streaming again. “I just- I wanted him to go away! And he wouldn’t!”

“Hey, hey, calm down, please.” Kyrian reached out towards him, and Adriel almost fell into his brother's embrace.

They sat, and Adriel cried, for a long while. Kyrian cleaned up Adriel, the dagger, and the man with a spell before gently helping the younger human to his feet.

They relocated that night, careful to cover their tracks and hopefully avoid being tracked down by the town guard.

Kyrian decided that night that he needed to put real thought into what he was doing for this kid.

And especially that they needed names.

\--

"So, from now on, you can call me Kyrian." The tiefling smiled. His hands were softly placed around Adriel's as they stood facing one another in the alleyway they'd been staying in.

"And my name will be, from now on, Adriel."

He'd grown so much since Kyrian first began caring for him. Once a small, terrified child now stood before Kyrian with a proud grin on his face, which was roughly eye-level with the tiefling's collarbone.

"Adriel. I like it. Did your grandma help pick it out?" Kyrian asked, letting his hands fall away from the younger boy's.

"Yes. She said that it's Celestial. I don't know if it means something, or if it's just a name, but I like it!"

"It suits you, green. It really does." Kyrian chuckled as Adriel rolled his eyes at the nickname, but Adriel hugged him all the same. Kyrian hugged him back, wrapping his tail loosely around Adriel's arm.

"I love you, Kyrian."

Kyrian froze for a second- this wasn't the first time Adriel had said 'I love you', but it felt like so much more now that they had names.

"I love you too, Adriel."

As the day wound down, they settled against the wall of one of the buildings, Kyrian's cloak draped gently over them, Adriel snoring softly into the air.

In the middle of the night though, something felt wrong. Kyrian had yet to fall asleep, and whatever was causing this feeling was likely the culprit for keeping him up.

He stood carefully, covering his brother tighter with his cloak, including his face, hoping that the darkness would help hide the boy.

Kyrian stalked slowly out of the alleyway, suddenly making eye contact with one of two town guards.

Well, there was no way he’d keep them from following him now. But maybe he could keep them off of his brother.

He ran, his dull footsteps echoing against the buildings of the small town.

Two pairs of footsteps followed behind him.


	3. Lonely, but not alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adriel is getting along well enough without Kyrian, and if you asked him, he would say he didn't even miss the tiefling.  
This was a lie, of course.  
The time spent without Kyrian, however short, reminded Adriel of how he felt as a tiny child, hardly even able to stumble around. Completey alone, and afraid.  
But he gets on, the knowledge that he did this once before with far less ability or skills under his belt keeping him moving forward.  
Along with the hope of someday seeing his brother again.

Adriel woke up to the sun in his eyes, and grumbled.

And then he felt it.

His brother wasn’t here.

Blinking his eyes a few times, he brought his hand up to block the sun, try to see a bit better. He wasn’t anywhere in the alley. This was rare, but not a cause for worry.

Adriel set about making some food for himself- some scraps he’d collected over the last couple of days. Nothing extravagant, or even really that nice tasting, but something enough to give him energy for the morning.

And then he began his day.

He went to the library first and sat in there studying more common and infernal - the two languages he knew best from Kyrian.

Kyrian. They had names now.

Adriel smiled at the memory- They’d always had things they called eachother. Kyrian would call him ‘green’, or ‘shorty’. Adriel, in turn, would call Kyrian ‘blue’, or ‘spade’. They were always just a way to get the other’s attention, or to tease one another. They never really meant anything other than just being pleasant nicknames.

But now that’s exactly what they were. Nicknames. Names other than their actual names.

Adriel lost himself in thought, and took a while to realize he wasn’t even paying attention to the book full of infernal in front of him.

No matter though, he wanted to go find Kyrian anyway. It was easier to practice conversationally.

He put the books back where he’d found them, and left the library.

Passing through the main square, he passed the weapons shop. The owner inside glared at him, and Adriel knew exactly why.

He shrunk away from the man’s gaze and scurried off. He didn’t need anything new anyway. He hadn’t even gotten a chance to use his bow much yet.

Heading back to the alley they’d hunkered down in the previous night, Adriel found it still empty. He furrowed his brow- normally at this time - about mid-day - they’d both head back to their temporary home base, wherever that may be, and check in on one another.

Adriel sat down against the wall, humming quietly to himself, resolving to wait until his brother came back from whatever he was spending his day doing.

Some time passed, and Adriel was entertaining himself with the rats that also made a home between these buildings. He’d offered them some of the fruit in his bag that had been going bad anyway, and they seemed grateful to have someone feeding them.

One, in particular, seemed very curious about him- It was a brown rat with ears and a belly roughly the color of eggshells. Its nose and tail were pale pink, and its dark eyes focused on Adriel. He held his hand out for it- It must have been rather young at this point. It was still so small.

It crawled into his hand eagerly though, and accepted a small piece of broccoli.from between his fingers. Adriel laughed, watching the tiny creature scarf down the vegetable.

After finishing its meal, the rat scurried down his arm, and then back up, before hiding itself inside the hood of Kyrian’s cloak, which Adriel hadn’t even realized he’d put on.

“Oh, is that where you live now?” Adriel asked softly to the rat, who squeaked in response. He laughed.

“I like you, little guy. I’m keeping you with me.”

\--

It had been a few days now, with no sight of Kyrian. By the end of the first day, Adriel had been worried. Now? He was downright terrified.

He’d always known that they weren’t exactly liked by the town guard. They were homeless, thieves, and one of them was a clearly non-human race. It wasn’t easy to be liked by anyone the way they were.

But they’d never really had much issue with them as long as they kept up appearances around them. No stealing when there were guards paying attention, do what the guards say - even if you don’t like it, they’d been okay thus far.

But Adriel guessed that couldn’t last forever.

He still had hope- something told him that Kyrian was alive somewhere. Maybe not here, with Adriel, where he belonged, but somewhere.

Adriel entertained the idea of asking around, to see if people had seen his brother, but decided against it. Kyrian was probably hiding somewhere, waiting, biding his time.

He’d return to Adriel when it was safe.

But every day until then would be hard.

\--

It had been months now, and although Adriel wasn’t sure of his birthday, he felt older. He felt like he’d aged.

Last time he’d asked about it, his grandma had told him he was nine years old. Was he ten now?

Ten, and already had one murder under his belt.

Quite the life he’d been wrapped up into, huh?

Cheese, the rat from months ago, who’d apparently imprinted on Adriel, squeaked at him, pulling him from his thoughts.

“You’re probably hungry, aren’t you?”

Adriel rummaged in the small bag he’d been using, looking for some scraps from his most recent collection. He collected both from the nearby forest and from unsuspected townspeople.

But more often than not he was hunting now. Selling all the parts he couldn’t use- mostly hides, but also things like horns or bones. He would use what little money he would gain that way to afford more arrows or to keep himself from going completely nude as he continued to grow.

He pulled out some pieces of dried meat, as well as a few different herbs and vegetables for him and his rodent friend. They resigned themselves to their meal, and Adriel let his mind wander again. Would he ever find Kyrian? If he did, would Kyrian want to see him?

He would, wouldn’t he? I mean, he said he’d never get tired of Adriel…

But that was years ago. Back when Adriel was only maybe seven. Maybe Kyrian just didn’t want to upset him.

But if that was the case, how much of what Kyrian had said was just not to upset Adriel? Did he actually care at all?

A warmth spread through his chest, that caught him by surprise, but comforted him.

“I know, Grandma. You keep telling me to calm down. But what if I’m right? If he didn’t care a tall?”

Silence, but the warmth grew. And Adriel sighed.

“Alright, fine. You win this time.” He chuckled softly, holding one hand against his chest. “I’ll stop thinking about it.”

Cheese squeaked, propping himself up on Adriel’s leg. His ear twitched slightly, and he tilted his head up at Adriel.

“You done with your dinner? Wanna go to bed?”

He picked up the rat, who had gotten bigger over the past few months and now fit comfortably in Adriel’s palm instead of feeling way too small and incredibly fragile.

Adriel stood carefully and moved over to the corner, where he sat down and covered himself with Kyrian’s cloak.

He still thought of it as Kyrian’s. H would probably never stop thinking about it as Kyrian’s. It was one of the few connections he still had to his brother, now that the tiefling was missing.

\--

While hunting was easy enough and got him money, he also began to get good with the disguise kit that Kyrian had gotten him not too long before he left. By looking like a young woman, instead of a young boy, he could get free meals, at the behest of the men who he scammed. He’d never really have to go very far. A flutter of his eyelashes and a feminine giggle got him wonders when it came to men needing companionship.

There was only one time in the two years he employed this strategy where it went too far and Adriel was forced to take matters into his own hands.

But that situation was a clear outlier. For the rest of the time, the men were happy enough to pay for a meal, entertain him with mindless chatter, and then be disappointed as he left with a sweet thank you and a swirl of his skirt.

It was a night like this that he was walking quietly away from the tavern, towards where he’d left Cheese and most of his belongings stashed behind some boxes when he felt a presence nearby.

Looking around, his eyes cut through the dark, and he didn’t see anyone.

But he couldn’t risk it.

He focused for a second and unfurled his wings; iridescent and shimmering with a pale white light. He pushed up off the ground, to the roof of a nearby building, and hid for a while. A pair of footsteps could be heard from the ground, and the voice of a very drunk man, but after a little while the footsteps retreated. Peeking over the edge, Adriel saw the man, very drunk and holding a bottle, stumbling away, in the opposite direction of where Adriel needed to head.

Letting out a sigh, Adriel let himself glide down off the building, allowing his wings to dissipate as he hit the ground with a soft thump.

Now, he stuck to the shadows but made it back safe. He removed his items and his furry companion from behind the boxes. He’d been using this alley as a makeshift home for maybe a week now. It might be about time to move base, just to be safe. He didn’t like sticking to one area for too long.

Especially because tavern regulars in said area started to know his schemes after a while.

But for tonight he still felt safe here. He moved the boxes a bit to make more room behind them and settled down, using the boxes as a wall to block him from view from the street.

He rested well enough that night, but not as well as he maybe could have.


	4. Something like Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adriel didn't believe in fate. He believed in choices, paths a person could take to bring them to different outcomes. Nobody had one set path they were meant to take.  
When he looks back on this day, this encounter, though... Sometimes he can be tricked into seeing where people could get that belief from.

When asked about the day his adventure started, Adriel would eventually tell you it was the best day of his life.

But on that day, it felt like any other day, really.

He’d never left the town, not far. Only going into the nearby forest to hunt once a week or so.

But this evening, that familiar warmth in his chest appeared again and it told him where to go. Down the main road and around the horse stables. From just out of town that way, he could see what his grandmother was showing him- A dim fire lit a decent ways away from the city, but not far enough to be unseeable in the darkness, at least not for him.

He stalked forward, knowing full well than anything around that fire wouldn’t see him for the majority of his approach.

He stalked into some brush, not too far from the camp, and watched. Through the branches, he could see lard humanoid figures. He couldn’t tell exactly what they were, but they were large and humanoid, and a ways away from the main camp was some sort of a structure- a building, perhaps? It was quite small…

One of the figures lit a torch and approached the structure. As it got closer, Adriel could see that it was a large cage, filled with other humanoids of varying shapes and sizes.

The humanoid- a Goliath, as he could now see, shone the torch at one particular figure standing against the bars of the cage. A Dragonborn, deep blue, with striking bright blue eyes and a growl seemingly permanently set on his features.

The Goliath said something that Adriel couldn’t understand, and the Dragonborn bared his teeth. The Goliath laughed and brought the torch closer, but when bright blue lightning crackled around the Dragonborn's maw, the Goliath pulled back, spitting in the face of the Dragonborn.

The Goliath barked something at the group in the cage, most of them cowering away from his hulking form before he left and went back to the campfire, extinguishing his torch.

Decision made, Adriel slowly stalked out of the brush, keeping as low to the ground as he could manage.

At one point, Adriel made eye contact with the Dragonborn, who raised one eyebrow ridge at him. Adriel brought one hand up to his own mouth, and the Dragonborn puffed some air out of his nose before looking away, though amusement danced in his eyes.

After some moments that felt far longer than they really were, Adriel made his way up to the lock on the cage. It wasn’t hard to pick, and he made quick work of it.

As soon as the lock was off though, the captive people came running out.

And so too did the Goliaths.

Adriel dropped to the ground, in the grass, hoping to remain unseen, at least for the moment.

And he was. The Goliaths began chasing their escaping captives, and Adriel quickly came to his senses and made his way into the cage, where the Dragonborn stood, chained to the bars.

There was no visible lock on his chains- they’d just been smashed together.

“Axe.” Came the Dragonborn's somewhat raspy voice. He gestured with his head down to his hip, where a handaxe sat in a holster. Removing it from the holster, Adriel swung hard down at the chains, to little avail. With a second attempt, he’d made a dent in it, but not broken it.

No matter to the Dragonborn, though. With a strain os his arms, the chain creaked, and then clattered to the ground. The Dragonborn grinned at Adriel, before pushing past the much smaller boy and standing just outside the door of the cage.

At this point, some of the Goliaths were returning, wriggling captives in their grasp. At the sight of their largest, likely most deadly captive standing outside the cage, growling and crackling with lightning, most of them dropped their captives in fear.

The Dragonborn snorted, seemingly amused by the sight before him. He reached behind him, gripping the end of one of many javelins that sat along the base of his tail, and with ease let one fly. Straight through the chest of the nearest Goliath.

With a cough, it fell. However, the rest were braver and, drawing their weapons, began to charge forward.

Something seemed to ignite inside the Dragonborn, and he drew the greatsword from its scabbard, lightning sparking furiously from between his lips.

Everything was playing out in slow motion as Adriel watched the Dragonborn run forward, cleaving one of the goliaths cleanly in half and burying his sword deep into another. As another came closer, clearly regretting his decisions to attack, bright lightning arced from the Dragonborn’s mouth with a roar, connecting with the Goliath and easily making him drop to his knees, unconscious, if not dead.

One, farther back, began to turn away and Adriel quickly lined up the shot through his bow, letting the arrow fly, striking him cleanly in the back of the neck, and the Goliath dropped.

Seconds passed in relative quiet- the Dragonborn’s heavy breathing, the dull, frantic footsteps of scattering captives, and the labored breathing of the Goliaths that had yet to die.

“Well.” the Dragonborn stood up fully now, a staggering two feet taller than Adriel. “That was far easier than I anticipated. Albeit I did most of the work.”

“Yeah, you did. I uh-” Adriel was at a loss for words, staring up at the man. The Dragonborn laughed gently.

“Scared? Don’t worry, I would be too. Tell me, do you have a name?”

“I do, actually! Adriel. And… You?”

“Targeous, but you can shorten it to Targ if you like. I like the name Adriel, though. Does it have meaning?”

“Not that I’m aware of, no. My grandmother says it’s in the language of the Angels.”

“It sounds it. Tell me, do you often help scared captives escape from creatures far outnumbering you?”

“Well, no, not typically.”

Adriel’s heart was calming as he talked to the Dragonborn- Targeous, he’d said. Targeous.

“Well, would you like to? I’m on a mission from my God, and I could use any help I can get.” There was a pause, and Adriel began to think it over. Something about this man- Targeous. Targeous. Another name to remember. Something about him, though, felt right. Like this was where he was supposed to end up. Others might call it fate, but Adriel felt differently about it. He never thought of things as fate, or destiny- just a path laid out that a person may choose to travel, or may choose to discard.

And this? It would be a shame to leave this, to discard the path he’d found himself on. He may as well see where it leads him.

“I understand if you don’t want to- I’m sure you have a life to get back to. You seem rather young, and I would hate to pull you away from your family.” Targ broke through Adriel’s thoughts, and the Aasimar shook his head.

“None to speak of,” Adriel interjected. “That being said, I’d be happy to join you on your quest. It would be more entertaining than spending all my days in the streets, I’m sure.”

“Well, you’ll have company, at the very least. And a warm bed, assuming we can find a decent inn.”

“More than I’ve had in years.” Adriel joked half-heartedly. It hurt, though, realizing how long he’d been alone now. Two, maybe three years? His smile faltered, and Targ took notice but didn’t pry.

Targ, of course, had his own secrets he wasn’t telling anyone. He would be a hypocrite to ask about Adriel’s so soon after their meeting.

“Well, do you know your way around that town, then? Can you lead me to somewhere cheap to stay for the night?”

“I’ve lived there my whole life,” Adriel said, glad for the change of subject. “I know that town like the back of my hand.”

They made idle conversation on their way back to the town, and Adriel introduced Targ and Cheese, who had been hiding in his small coin purse during the action.

“You have a rat? As a pet?”

“A companion, really, but yes.” Adriel laughed at the clear confusion on Targ’s face, which seemed to be genuine. “He’s been with me for years now- He’s my closest friend.”

It hurt to hear himself say that, and it hurt Targ to know that was likely the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So at this point, things will start being much more linear.  
Less time skipping, more talking about the adventure to be had.  
And don't worry!! Kyrian won't stop mattering!!  
I might spend some chapters talking about what my favorite purple tiefling is up to in the future but for now at least we'll be focusing on the beginning of Adriel's journey with Targeous.  
Note that any chapter I do end up writing in Kyrian's story will likely be in the same fasion as the first few chapters were. Full of timeskips with snippets of info just to get the gist on how he's doing.  
He has a few years to catch up on, after all.


	5. Just a Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adriel sets off, now, with his new companion, a blue Dragonborn man named Targeos. Their journey is only a few days past when they stumble upon the first of many detours they end up having to take.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theres some somewhat graphic stuff in this chapter. Tis the nature of D&D, sadly, but it does get a little grotesque to picture as you read.  
I've tomed it down from how my DM originally described it.  
Hopefully you enjoy the chapter regardless!!

Targ paid for a room with two beds, and Adriel relished in the privileges he’d missed out on. He took a bath! Ate a nice, hot meal that wasn’t scavenged from someone else’s dinner! Going to bed, he settled down onto a bed that, normally, wouldn’t be very comfortable, but to Adriel? It was the softest thing in the world. The pillow had feathers in it!

Targ took some small amusement in watching his new companion enjoy some of what he likely considered the ‘finer things’ in life. Though Targ also took part in the same activities; eating, bathing, sleeping; they were nowhere near as extravagant to him. They were nice, of course- better than the cage he’d just been in- but not the level of extravagance he was used to.

And that made it all the better. Here, with Adriel, a child he’d known for less than two hours, there were no expectations of nobility. Adriel had no idea, and could live in blissful ignorance forever if Targ wished him to. He didn’t expect Targ to be prim and proper and noble. Just to be there, and to travel with him, and to fight alongside him.

As a companion and, ideally, eventually a friend.

Both of them settled down easily that night, a dreamless but restful sleep awaiting them.

Neither of them expected the other to be up very early, but they were, nearly at the same time.

“Well, good morning Adriel.” Targ made a silent note of the fact that Adriel hadn’t been the one to start any conversation between the two. Shy, probably. Little social skills. “Did you sleep well?”

“Better than I have in-” he paused and looked sad for a moment, but shook his head a moment later. “Wel, a long time, for sure. I don’t remember ever sleeping in an actual bed before.”

“No? Have you always been on the streets?”

“As long as I can remember, yes.”

“Was there ever someone with you?” Targ was intrigued as he gathered his weapons and other equipment, which was laid on the floor next to his bed.

“For quite a while, yes- Can we not talk about this? It’s not… something I like thinking about.”

“Oh- Forgive me, I didn’t-”

“I know.” Adriel sighed, finishing up gathering his own equipment. “I never mentioned it, I couldn’t expect you to know. It just hurts.”

“Losing someone hurts. It always does.”

“Yeah.”

Adriel wasn’t telling Targ something, but the Dragonborn decided it would be rude to push any further than he had. Especially if he wanted to keep the kid around for a while.

\--

They followed the lead of where Targ claimed his God, Bahamut, was leading him- a village roughly the same size as this, but closer to the capital, so more well-guarded than this humble town was.

It was a few days travel on foot, and sleeping in tents was far closer to what Adriel was used to.

Nothing particularly interesting happened on the journey to Targ’s destination, but getting there was a whole different story.

The pair could see a village with high walls, groups of Goblins patrolling the entrances. Making their way- rather slowly- around, they found four entrances, each guarded with three Goblins.

“I should be able to take them from the shadows,” Adriel assured Targ, who nodded. “From there I can probably sneak into the town and see what’s going on inside.”

“Be careful,” Targ warned, but Adriel laughed softly.

“I’ve been lying, sneaking, and stealing my whole life. I’ll be alright.” He assured.

At least, he hoped he’d be alright.

He took a deep breath, and moved to a different patch of brush from where they were hiding. He moved closer to the nearest entrance, keeping an eye on the Goblins there. A Hobgoblin came through the gates, turning towards the Goblins and barking something at them, likely in Goblin, although Adriel didn’t know the language and couldn’t quite hear them entirely, so he had no real idea.

After barking orders at the trio of guards, the Hobgoblin sneered at them and went back into the village.

They were drinking something after the Hobgoblin left, and before long Adriel knew that it had been something alcoholic.

They were shakily standing their guard, swaying to and fro with drunkenness, and Adriel was almost tempted to just take them out where they stood.

Waiting another few seconds though, one of them began to approach the very patch of brush he was taking shelter in.

Perfect.

He approached and began undoing the lower part of his armor, but wasn’t given a chance. Adriel plunged one dagger into the Goblin’s throat, and it let out a gross, gargled choking noise before Adriel twisted the dagger and removed it, leaving the Goblin to collapse, lifeless before him.

Adriel took a deep breath and tried to calm his beating heart, his pulse pumping in his ears.

“Just these three.” He assured himself, voice hardly a whisper.

One of the other Goblins called out, apparently for the now-dead one laying before Adriel. He excused himself from the other to approach but had barely stooped down to flip the body over before he met the same fate as his companion.

As he collapsed, Adriel noticed a detail he hadn’t seen on the first one. A horn, likely a warning call in case they were being attacked, sat attached to his hip.

Looking up at the other one, which clearly had begun to notice something was up, he also didn’t have a horn.

No time to contemplate that, though, Adriel took out and readied his bow. Then, arrow nocked, he stood tall and let the arrow fly. One arrow to stop the Goblin from calling out, another to push the previous one completely through his throat.

He collapsed, dead, on his back.

Adriel figured he had some time before any other goblins noticed anything going on, so he stooped down and busied himself collecting anything of use from these three.

They all had bows, though they were too small for Adriel to use effectively.

They all had plenty of Arrows. Adriel was able to replenish and nearly double his supply.

And one of them- the one with the horn, likely the ‘leader’ of the trio, had a fairly large bag with him, that gave off a magical glow.

“Targ, look at this.” He showed the bag to his companion, and the Dragonborn looked it over curiously, before taking a similar bag off of his own body and comparing the two.

“Almost as good as mine. Anything inside?”

“Not sure.” Adriel flipped open the flap, and staggered back, dropping the bag. A geyser of items shot out the top- mostly mundane items, like pots and pans, dishes, wooden cookware. The geyser lasted for a few moments before calming. Looking inside, Adriel could see that the bag remained fairly full of similar items.

Pulling the rest of them out, Adriel discovered something a bit interesting. It was a bit of a hassle to pull out but, following all the mundane, out came a fairly ornate rug.

Laying it out, it seemed rather average, albeit intricately designed.

“Well, it’s definitely pretty. Could probably fetch a pretty penny next time we see a shop.”

“You’re probably right. But here’s my question-” Targ paused, looking puzzled. “Why’d the Goblin grab this? By the looks of it, he was far more interested in pots, pans, and dishes.”

“Could it have been in the bag when he got it?” Adriel responded, shrugging, and replacing the rug in the bag.

“Perhaps. Any intention of figuring out who the bag belongs to?”

“Probably dead.”

“Fair enough. Now go- you said you’d go into town after the guards were taken care of.”

“I’m going, I’m going,” Adriel responded, stalking back to his previous hiding place, then carefully through the open archway that acted as a gate. Streetlamps glowed dimly in the darkness, and Ariel could hear the sounds of patrolling feet further into town as he entered.

It seemed though that the streets were mostly deserted.  
He ducked behind a building regardless, darting left and right through alleyways and across streets.

His goal was the largest building in town, likely something of a town hall. On the upper level, a light flickered, seemingly in a pattern. Though at this distance, Adriel couldn’t be sure what the pattern was.

He darted carefully, and quickly toward the building, but came to a halt when his goal was almost within reach. A road surrounded the building, which was also surrounded by a moat. There were only a few ways to get across, and each was guarded a pair of Goblins, not to mention the guards patrolling directly around the building.

Well, Adriel decided that he must have wings for a reason.

He scaled a nearby building with relative ease, diving behind a chimney to avoid the gaze of any guards that may have heard the flutter of his feathered wings.

From there, he could see into the window with the mysterious pattern. Inside sat a naked gnome woman, hardly conscious, using her head in front of a candle to make the pattern. She was clearly tied and bound, Adriel could tell that even from here.

Looking around, Adriel found his way of getting her; and hopefully nobody else’s; attention. A small rock, likely a chip off of the chimney next to him. He took it softly in his hand and tossed it just hard enough to clink against the glass of the window. It drew her attention, and she opened her eyes, losing her rhythm and falling to her side. Adriel ducked behind the chimney for a moment to avoid being seen by the guards below, who definitely heard the sound of the rock hitting the window. A few seconds passed, and the gnome righted herself. She blinked a few times, then got visibly excited when she noticed Adriel. From what he could read on her lips, she and her friend- Adriel only noticed the unmoving figure now laying beside her. He didn’t look too great. She and her friend had been trapped here after the Goblins took the town from the rest of the folks that lived here.

Adriel frowned, looking around at the patrols on the streets in the rest of the town.

Letting out a sigh, Adriel unfurled his wings again and flew up to the roof, before climbing up into the chimney and, letting his wings dissipate into the air, carefully shimmied his way down into the building. He landed with a soft thud on the ashy ground, holding his breath as ash clouded up around him.

He slid out of the chimney, finding himself in a dark room surrounded by who knows how many sleeping Goblins.

Adriel’s breath caught in his throat and he stiffened, unable to move for a couple of seconds.

However, common sense made its way back into his mind, and he forced himself to creep through the darkness across the room, toward the stairs leading up. At the top of them was a locked door, which Adriel was able to easily pick.

Opening the door, he thanked the celestials it didn’t creak, meaning he didn’t wake the Goblins downstairs or the intimidating Hobgoblin from before sleeping barely ten feet away from where he stood.

Carefully pulling a dagger out of its sheath, he made quick work at slitting the Hobgoblin’s throat just deep enough that he would choke on his own blood and die.

He then made his way over toward the Gnome, who smiled genuinely as he approached.

He slit the ropes binding her with his other dagger, the one not stained with blood. She thanked him graciously, albeit quietly, and told him the full story. She was part of an adventuring group, and they had taken a mission they were less than ready for. She was to meet up with them later, as she had been busy when they’d first taken the mission. She planned on trying to recruit one, maybe two people before meeting up with them, but got held up here when the Goblins took over.

While she spoke, Adriel busied himself in focusing on his Celestial abilities into his hands, which he held barely hovering over the unconscious man’s chest. He hoped to focus the energy into his wounds, to assist in the man’s ability to recover.

While only managing to close them barely, he did enough that Adriel was sure he’d survive them. The Gnome - Pike, as she’d introduced herself- approached after she was clothed, kneeling over her companion and murmuring something softly under her breath.

The human was engulfed in white light, and his wounds closed further. He still wasn’t looking great, but he would definitely recover.

He stood slowly, gripping his torso with one hand. Adriel rushed to assist but was waved off. The injured human- dressed modestly in loose-fitting clothing, visibly unarmed- started making his way towards the door leading downstairs.

“There are Goblins all over- They’ll wake up if-”

Without a word, the dark-skinned human turned around to look at him. With one hardly noticeable movement of his hand, the rail beside the stairs shattered into a million tiny splinters, falling uselessly to the floor.

The human turned back downstairs, the door closing with a dull thunk behind him. A few seconds passed, and the sounds of who knows how many screams, followed by an animalistic roar, drifted through the wood. Adriel shuddered to think what must be happening downstairs.

Albeit what was happening up here wasn’t very good either- Pike, armed with a decent sized Mace, was hammering it repeatedly into the skull of the hobgoblin. Adriel was too sick at the sight to watch. He understood- The hobgoblin had likely done unspeakable things to the woman while she was held hostage. Knowing that made it easier to accept, not easier to look at.

After she’d gotten it out of her system, she walked over to where Adriel was standing, looking out the window. She was covered in blood and panting.

Goblins were still patrolling outside, evidently not realizing what was going on inside.

Until, of course, the pair saw a large lycanthropic wolf break through the door downstairs, immediately tearing its claws through the first goblin it saw.

That got their attention.

Pike took her holy symbol in her hands and closed her eyes for a moment. A large, white pillar of light erupted around some of the goblins, and all that Adriel could hear was their screams.

This wasn’t what he’d signed up for. If anything, this scared him more than being alone did.

He stayed silent, letting things just happen around him- He wasn’t terribly useful at range in most situations, regardless. He’d always been better with daggers than with his bow.

Across the city, the unmistakable form of Targ running through the gates, greatsword in hand, lead straight into a large group of fleeing goblins. The dragonborn wasted no time, and Adriel had to look away.

This was definitely not what he’d signed up for.

Kyrian had always stressed the importance of nonviolence. Always.He wouldn’t want this.

Adriel climbed out the window, letting his wings unfurl as he fell and using the wind below him to lift off.

He left the town, landing next to where Targeous had waited for him.

He would wait for them here. He couldn’t stand the state of the town now.

He was just a fucking kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, that is, in fact, Pike Trickfoot. I've been debating on keeping Vox Machina in the story or not and eventually I decided that they make too mamy important things happen to just remove them completely.


End file.
